Dropouts return to school in Vista

VISTA -- When Erika Rodriguez dropped out of Alta Vista High
School eight years ago, she didn't care much about the diploma she
was going to be missing, she said Wednesday.

Though she now regrets her decision to drop out, Rodriguez said
there wasn't much the district could have done to keep her in
school.

"It was just me," she said. "I was a defiant child."

Though graduation rates vary depending on the computation method
used, Vista Unified School District officials say that probably 25
percent of students in its high schools fail to graduate for one
reason or another.

For Rodriguez, it was mostly the fact that she didn't put much
emphasis on going to school or studying, she said. She was sent
from Vista High School to Alta Vista during her sophomore year
because poor attendance had caused her to fall behind in credits.
Though she stayed at the continuation school until her senior year
-- and said she thinks its a good school -- she didn't have the
motivation to catch up.

"I was there," she said. "I just never did my work."

Rodriguez's story is fairly common among dropouts.

Cecilio Dagnino, 20, was sent from Rancho Buena Vista to Alta
Vista his senior year and was later asked to leave the continuation
school because of poor attendance and participation.

"They kind of got fed up with me," he said.

Because, like Dagnino, there are many students who continue to
skip class, he said he thinks high schools should be more strict
about truancy.

"Get those truancy officers out there," he said. "A lot of
people get corrupted just by being out of school."

It only took Dagnino a couple of years to realize the importance
of a high school diploma. Now, he and Rodriguez are back on the
path toward graduation at Vista Adult Education.

About 1,000 student enrolled in the adult programs last year,
according to the state Department of Education. Many of these
students have dropped out of high school, said Lizeette Zurita, an
adult education teacher.

"It's kind of like a second chance," Zurita said. "This is just
a big opportunity for them."

The adult program also serves as a last chance for a diploma for
students, such as Dagnino and Rodriguez, who left comprehensive
high schools after falling behind in credits and didn't keep up
with the work at Alta Vista.

Many of the students who were not motivated in high school and
failed to graduate are more motivated when they decide to attend
adult education classes, Zurita said.

"The number one thing is that they're here because they want to
be here," she said.

Brian Barraca, one of her students, agreed.

"It's my decision whether to finish or not," he said. "Back in
high school, I felt like it was an obligation."

Because the school has a waiting list every year, the teachers
have high expectations of their students and usually expect them to
earn their diploma within a year, Zurita said.

Barraca said he expects to get a diploma this summer. He said he
is trying to get his life back on track after drug abuse caused him
to drop out from Vista High School about six years ago.

"It's a burden in your life, not having a diploma," he said
Wednesday night during class. "I really want to get this thing
done."

Sonia Valenzuela, another student in Zurita's class, said she is
also hoping to get her diploma this summer. She dropped out of a
high school in Arizona when she was 15 because she was
pregnant.

After years out of school and raising a family, Valenzuela said
she is excited to finally be back on the path toward
graduating.

"You feel dumb when you don't even have a high school diploma,"
she said.